Ed Asner narrates this documentary about U.S. involvement in Colombia’s drug trafficking and civil unrest. The film examines the impact of chemical spraying and military funding and reveals alternate U.S. interests. Features interviews with Noam Chomsky, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, Colombian Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, Congressmen John Conyers and Jim McGovern, U.S. State Department officials, guerilla leaders and others.

So, here we are again with coca leaves.

Only this time the US is not only instigating violence with the country, but also endangering innocent people in the most long-range suffering possible. Our government is fumigating ‘coca’ crops with chemicals that are also reaching other crops like corn and bananas. Not only is this destroying the economic prosperity of small farmers, but causes skin problems, birth defects, fertility issues, tumors, and organ dysfunction. It also reaches the waters that compose the Amazon basin, infecting not only Colombia, but Ecuador, Peru and some parts of Brazil as well.

Just as in Bolivia, the violence this effort has caused in needless and victimizes thousands of innocent people. The US outsources their efforts to Colombian military and paramilitary forces; in areas where these forces clash with the FARC, the result is sometimes literally explosive.

Due to this unrest, entire communities are displaced, making Colombia come in third in the list of countries with internal refugees. Many flee the country, flooding Ecuador and Venezuela with refugees which create an entire new social issue in those countries- some of which included racism against Colombians and the small-scale spread of violence across borders.

In my opinion, the US is doing it wrong. Not only are their operations causing chaos and death, but this fumigation method is the least cost effective, wasting our tax payers money- your money. The military involvement is sketchy at best- as funds are misused and corruption tears the system set up to keep peace.